Cajun French: la merise (la m’reez) – cherry
Shopping at farmers markets while we travel brings new and different products to our table. One such find was shishito peppers. The pepper is an East Asian variety and makes great finger food. We decided to add them to our Shrimp and ground cherries to give a sweet/hot taste. There were a few leftover so we cut off the stems, chopped them and added to eggs for an excellent scramble.
Mais C’est Bon!
Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
Shishito peppers
Olive oil
Sea salt
Lemon
1# peeled and de-headed shrimp
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Paprika
Ground cherries
Cooked rice
Wash and dry peppers
Heat 2 tsp olive oil to medium in cast iron skillet
Add peppers tossing frequently
The peppers will begin to blister and char in places – approximately 10-15 minutes
Remove from skillet and toss with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon
Using the same skillet, add a little more olive oil and heat to medium
Add shrimp to skillet and season with salt, cayenne pepper, and paprika
Sauté shrimp until pink
To plate:
Place a serving of rice on plate
Add a serving of shrimp on rice
Add ground cherries and peppers
Garnish with a lemon wedge
As a side we served tomato slices topped with cheese and Italian seasoning on slices of crusty bread. Lightly heat tomatoes and cheese to melt cheese.
Note: ground cherries are related to tomatillos. The cherries have a protective paper husk around the fruit.
